Halfway through and in the thick of it

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But how to start? you ask. I happen to be an accomplished soup cook, and I am happy to share some of my foolproof, idiot-proof, low-fat, high-fiber, easy-to-prepare recipes. Please feel free to experiment. If you know you don’t like garlic, leave it out and add some other seasoning. These recipes are not etched in stone; they are scrawled on a blackboard. They are offered as inspiration. If you do follow them, you’ll find yourself with a pot of delicious soup that can be eaten at the moment, kept for many days or frozen for future use. They are healthy, can be kosher and are mostly vegetarian, except for the alleged chicken in the broth.

Put all ingredients in a huge pot, bring to a boil and let simmer until peas are soft, about 1½ hours. Then blend with an electric mixing stick and serve. It is physically impossible to still feel cold after eating a bowl of this soup.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the minced garlic until translucent. Add onion, celery, carrots, peppers and spices and sauté. Add chicken broth and, after rinsing lentils, add them as well. Add the tomatoes and spices and cook for about 40 minutes.

Sid Tanenbaum, who lived in Woodmere and owned a metal-stamping shop in Far Rockaway, where he was known more for his charitable ways than his two-handed set shot, has been honored for the past 30 years with a basketball tournament that raises scholarship money for students in the Five Towns.